French-Canadian singer Bobby Bazini burst onto the scene in 2010, when he released his first album, Better in Time. It debuted at #4 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and the Canadian Recording Industry Association certified it platinum after sales had reached 80,000 units.
Bazini, born Bobby Bazinet in Mont-Laurier, Quebec, grew up with music in the house. The songs of classic artists like Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash played frequently, and his paternal grandmother was a singer, and grandfather a guitarist. Not only that, but brother Kevin won the season on the Quebec show La Voix in 2015, and brother Jessy competed in 2016. (And there are still three more siblings in his family who are sure to make their musical mark in the future.)
But what’s fascinating about Bazini’s journey is that, although he writes and sings in English, his name rarely crossed the Quebec border. For his second album, Summer is Gone, released in 2014, he travelled to California, worked with some of the best-known artists in the industry, had Booker T. play piano, Jack Ashford percussion, and Jay Bellrose drums, and Bazini’s name still only trickled across our country. (Despite that, though, Billboard reported that he was the only Canadian artist to sell over 100,000 units that year in Canada.)
But when his French-titled “C’est la vie” was released from his third album in 2017, his name took off. In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, he expressed how unbelievable it was: “I started writing this song in the sessions with Martin Terefe in London … and he was the one who said, ‘How about we call it “C’est la Vie?”’ I was surprised, because I always write in English. My three albums have been English. And it’s funny that you have to travel so far, to London, U.K., to write a song with a French title.”
According to an interview with the CBC, Bazini said “C’est la vie” garnered almost a quarter of a million views within the first month or so of its release.
Join us on Wednesday, May 29 @ 8PM to spend an evening with rising-star Bobby Bazini in the intimate setting of our OnStage series. As always, you also have the chance to purchase dinner* and make it a full night at the Centre. Get your tickets now.
*All our OnStage shows offer the bonus option of joining us for a delicious three-course meal in our CentreStage Lounge, hosted by our sponsor, Borealis Grille & Bar. Borealis serves the very best of locally sourced foods and beverages. So park once, settle yourself in and enjoy your evening. Dinner is only $29.95 + tax, beverages, and gratuities per person. Seating is limited, so be sure to book your dinner when you book your tickets!
